News
McDonald's French ad featuring gay teen garners mostly praise
June 2, 2010
The ad starts off typically enough, with a father and son sharing a meal at McDonald's. As the father orders, the teenage boy gets a call on his cell phone and says he misses the caller. Meanwhile, he gazes longingly at a class photo, touching one image softly.
When his father arrives at the table, he says it's too bad his son had attended an all boys' school because the dad had been "a real ladies' man" in high school. From the son's wry expression, it becomes clear he is gay and has not told his father. The vignette ends with the McDonald's France tagline "Come as you are," a year-long campaign in the country. (Watch the video below.)
Since the commercial began airing late last month, the Internet is abuzz with commentary on the ad, which is airing only in France. As of this morning, more than 62 news articles have covered McDonald's targeting of gay teens in its advertising. And a Google search with the words McDonald's gay ad shows 406,000 results among blogs. The ad also is a hot topic on Twitter and YouTube: poster "yaggvideo" has received over 1 million views on the commercial.
While some commentaries on YouTube and other sites blast McDonald's for having greasy food or for their corporate dominance, many of the posts praise McDonald's for recognizing a heretofore ignored demographic in quick-service advertising. Others simply give kudos to the company for the quality of the piece, such as this post on Twitter by @SusanQuilty:
Gay McDonald's ad in France:http://youtu.be/SBuKuA9nHswThe kid in this is great- his expressions say it all! Well done, MickeyDs!
Other posts lamented that such advertising is still far away for McDonald's USA, including this post by @TylerRidings:
Bold Move, but Good for Micky D's RT @ozsultan: In France It's OK to be Gay. In America, Not So Much (McDonald's Ad):http://bit.ly/alEIas
McDonald's Corp. said in a statement that the ad is merely one in a series of commercials in the "Come as you are" campaign by McDonald's France, one that "recognizes the diversity of McDonald's customers in France."
McDonald's also said each of its 117 markets around the world determines its own marketing and advertising focus, just as it always has.
The company did not address whether McDonald's USA might be considering addressing the same demographic.
Paving the way
Advertising experts are praising the ad on different fronts. Sue Reninger, managing partner, client brand strategy, for RMD Advertising, said she sees the McDonald's France ad as a sign that QSR advertising — and advertising overall — needs to "continue to rethink how we target our customers."
Reninger said this ad could launch a new trend of brands targeting homosexuals, especially among those concepts that value niche marketing. But like a comment about the ad on YouTube, she wonders if "this type of marketing would 'fly' in the U.S. in the long term."
Still, the ad is reminiscent of the old Virginia Slims cigarettes ads, "which cleared new ground when they targeted women, touting, 'You've come a long way, baby,'" she said.
"Likewise, food and QSR brands also have diverse audiences and have long been considered forerunners in developing envelope-pushing campaigns that are relevant and on target," she said. "Kudos to McDonald's for once again celebrating the spirit of true brand marketing and crafting messages that are not only relevant but that theire consumer groups want and need to see and hear."
Tom Denari, president of advertising agency Young & Laramore, sees the ad as groundbreaking for a different reason.
"To me, aside from addressing a young, gay teen, I think the most notable part is they're not selling any kind of product," he said. "And they're making a statement about the kind of place it is as opposed to what it is they're selling."
Such advertising is refreshing since QSR advertising overall has been focused on price and product. It's also reminiscent of McDonald's advertising 20 years ago, which focused on the relationships of its customers as they enjoyed a McDonald's meal. "It's just the subject matter is a little different," said Denari.
Like Reninger, Denari said it may be some time before gay-targeted advertising migrates to U.S. QSRs, but it likely will eventually, just as European trends typically do. But it could come fairly soon, thanks to U.S. TV shows that feature homosexual characters and themes.
"They've been more comfortable to address issues that they weren't addressing years ago — and advertising has as well," he said. "It's only a matter of time before that begins to occur."
The key is being assured the reward is greater than risk. Brands must ask, "Am I going to attract more people than I'm going to offend?" he said.
"If that equation works for them, then they're usually more comfortable doing it."
Related Media
Subscribe
Get the latest news and resources from QSR Web.
